PORTLAND, Ore. (October 3, 2019) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team battled through a slow start to ultimately force a fifth set Thursday night in the Viking Pavilion, but Portland State defended its home court in a 25-18, 25-27, 27-25, 16-25, 15-9 victory. Despite a career-high tying 17 kills by senior
Abby Akin and a career-high 35 digs from senior
Sydney Lema, the Lumberjacks suffered their first conference loss of the season and fell to 9-6 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky play.
Portland State started fast and ended even stronger to send NAU to its fourth fifth-set defeat of the fall. The Vikings broke open the first set with an 8-0 run to take a commanding 13-3 lead and closed the match with a 5-0 run to turn a one-point lead into a match victory.
Led by Lema's 35 digs – tied for the fifth-highest single-match total in program history – the 'Jacks posted 120 digs. The 120 digs were the most by the Lumberjacks in the rally scoring era and the sixth-highest total ever. Freshman
Jasmine West recorded 26 digs and freshman
Taylor Jacobsen posted a season-high 25 giving the Lumberjacks three players with 20 or more digs for the first time in almost two years.
NAU hit .166 and Akin was the only player to hit above .200. Akin attacked at a .556 clip to register her 17 kills. Jacobsen and Lema both tallied double-doubles with 10 kills each.
Portland State, who outblocked NAU narrowly 12.0-11.0, recorded five blocks in in its first seven points. The Vikings' defense forced seven Lumberjack attack errors to build their 13-3 lead and the 'Jacks never got closer than five points.
Both teams had multiple runs in the second set with Portland State striking with a 6-0 run to take an 11-7 lead. The Vikings then scored four straight to snap a 14-14 tie before the Lumberjacks flipped the scoreboard in their favor with a 7-0 run to take a 21-18 lead. NAU led 24-21, but Portland State held off the first three of four total set points. However, the Lumberjacks refused to drop the second set with Akin and redshirt freshman
Morgan Gappmayer turned back a Viking attack on NAU's fifth set point.
The Lumberjacks led for most of the third set, but their opportunity to take a 2-1 match lead slipped away late. Following kills by sophomore
Ryann Davis and Jacobsen, NAU led 22-19 before Portland State ripped off five straight points to reach set point. Gappmayer and Akin staved off two clinching points with kills, and Gappmayer held off another at 25-25 only for the Vikings to close out with two points.
NAU put together its most complete set in the fourth with its backs against the wall. The 'Jacks totaled four blocks and held the Vikings to .000 hitting, while Akin recorded five kills and Davis, Jacobsen and Gappmayer each tallied three to force a fifth set. Jacobsen sided out with a kill at 10-10 and West proceeded to serve eight straight points to put the game out of reach at 19-10.
Portland State snagged the initial 3-0 lead in the fifth set, but NAU managed to claim a 6-5 edge. However, NAU never led again as Portland State clamped down on the Lumberjacks. With the score tied at 8-8, NAU committed three attack errors and Portland State recorded a pair of aces to pull away late scoring seven of the final eight points of the match.
NAU wraps up the weekend road trip at Sacramento State on Saturday at 1 p.m.
